How could desire for profits possibly be an explanation for _rising prices_? Were companies not seeking profits in the 2010s? Did they only become greedy in rec

How could desire for profits possibly be an explanation for _rising prices_? Were companies not seeking profits in the 2010s? Did they only become greedy in recent years? It seems obvious to me that if companies could have raised prices more previously they would have. Therefore companies pushing price is just a proximate cause of inflation, not a root cause.